Boscia BB Cream Review, Swatches, Photos

As you know Boscia has a brand new BB Cream available. Boscia BB Cream SPF 27 PA++ is a skin perfecting Blemish Balm to create a more flawless finish with a moisturizing formula that hydrates, firms, and soothes skin while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and pores plus added SPF 27 for sun protection.

So far we have four major BB Cream releases in the US, one from Boscia, two from Dr. Jart, and one from MAC. Early June, you’ll see another from Smashbox. Obviously, the BB Cream craze that has swept Korea and Asia for the past few years is finally capturing the apple of America’s eye.

If you aren’t familiar with BB Creams I do urge you to check out my What is a BB Cream? post and also to brush up on your knowledge of how they are different from tinted moisturizers in my BB Cream versus Tinted Moisturizer post. Both posts will aid you in discovering BB Creams, understanding them, and give you a slew of various facts about the product.

My main complaint with BB Creams I’ve tried that have released here in the US is the lack of pigment. They aren’t typical BB Cream fare that I’ve come to know and love from Asia however props to getting the word of BB Creams to the Western market, finally.

Boscia BB Cream SPF 27 PA++ is the first self adjusting BB Cream thus far. Since BB Creams normally come in one shade they adjust to fit many shades…of course, this doesn’t always work well but I’ve had great success with many Asian brands who do support this “technology”. Boscia actually gets this down quite well in my opinion where as versions from both MAC and Dr. Jart did not successfully adjust (in the case of Dr. Jart they didn’t really promise it would in their defense).

Let’s take a look at Boscia’s offering.

An oil-free cream that creates a lustrous, flawless finish as it hydrates, firms, and soothes the skin. It helps to diminish the appearance of pores, fine lines, and uneven skintone while providing long-wearing, natural coverage that conceals imperfections.

Boscia’s formula is quite good but not a traditional BB Cream in my opinion. The texture is a rich cream that has a refreshing, cooling sensation when applied. It absorbs easily, offers instant hydration, and has an overall soothing feel and texture that’s feels virtually weightless so you don’t feel or look like you have makeup on.

The product is meant to be used in place of your foundation product. But like many of the new BB’s in our market it does apply very sheer so it only successfully perfects your skin but does not hide major problem areas as a traditional BB Cream would from Asia. Setting this aside I will rave the formula because they really did do a rather excellent job with it. It’s a warmer shade of creamy beige but it adjusts very well on my skin (I’m an I20-I40 in Shiseido foundations) and eases dullness instantly and creates a glowing finish for my makeup. The thing I liked about it was the fact that it mimics a freshly washed face. I always feel that I look my best after washing my face. My cheeks glow, my skin looks luminous and flawless, and I just look healthy….Boscia’s BB Cream re-events that freshly scrubbed face look. It makes my skin look healthy, glowing, and beautiful particularly because I suffer from dullness due to drier skin. I used it on a friend who’s considerably darker than me and it successfully adjusted to her skin tone as well (I believe she might be a MAC NC40) without leaving behind an ashy, chalky, pasty finish however it didn’t perfect her skin as well as it did my own medium fair skin so I do think the finish might look better on those with either cooler tones or medium warmer ones but not deeply tanned or olive. I’m going to toss it out there and say maybe MAC NC30 might be the cut off point here but don’t quote me as I’m not too familiar with MAC shades.

As I mentioned above the formula does have a creamy feel and is very rich when squeezed out of the tube but it has a high water content so it absorbs easily and feels refreshingly light on skin without an oily, greasy feel. It feels fluffy and almost whipped to me, kinda like a mousse. One thing that deserves mentioning is you’ll notice small silver sparkles in the mix but I didn’t notice these on my face. You can probably say it’s a step above a tinted moisturizer but not quite a BB Cream that you’d find in Korea.

I haven’t used it long enough to experience any anti-aging benefits but I will say those with redness or irritated skin might feel the formula is very soothing and who knows it might even ease smaller problem areas. Since the formula is light oily skin and those with sensitive skin can probably easily use it without any issues.

Coverage isn’t crazy pigmented so if you have major problem areas you wish to concealer this sadly won’t do the trick. As I mentioned above it’s not a traditional BB Cream but is a step above a tinted moisturizer so you’re getting some of the BB Cream experience but not all of it….

Those who aren’t keen on the heavy, sometimes oily feel of tinted moisturizers (this is lightweight and very refreshing).

Those who have good skin but suffer dullness or need a helpful aid to get their skin looking bright and healthy looking.

Those who want a natural, refined finish.

Those who want a base product that’s very lightweight and absorbs easily.

Those with dry skin!

Those who desire a product with SPF that doesn’t feel heavy or greasy.

Those who have used Korean BB Creams (you might find the formula a bit lacking if you’ve used and know good BB Creams).

Those who need full coverage (this is quite sheer).

Those who want the full BB Cream experience (a few quirks here doesn’t make this a full on Asian BB Cream).

Those with olive or tanned skin.

Out of all the BB Creams I’ve tried recently that have been released to our market, Boscia proves the best one thus far with Dr. Jart Water Fuse coming in close to second. I’ve heard a few reviews from very fair skinned girls who said they needed to blend a bit more to get the coverage down pat but I think it should suit many skin tones in the fair to medium fair zone as the shade adjusts quite well. The formula is very nice and is a higher grade quality compared to many expensive tinted moisturizers I own and tried in the past. I think it’s ideal for Summer and proves a fantastic pick if your skin really needs a pick me up if you suffer from unevenness or dullness. The SPF of 27 is good however I’d have been happier with a 30 or higher if possible. Having tried many, many Korean BB Creams I will say this isn’t quite the BB Cream experience at its pinnacle but Boscia seems to have taken it to a new and refreshing level with BB Creams on top, Boscia’s version in the center, and tinted moisturizers on the bottom rung. If you desire a lighter coverage for Summer to perfect your skin I highly suggest trying this.

I think it deserves a Muse Approval not as a BB Cream but just as an overall superior base product that made my skin look flawless!

Disclosure:

I’m definitely interested as I just need a bit of a more even skin tone so I don’t need crazy coverage, but at nearly $40 I might as well just get a real, Asian BB cream… If the Boscia one was like $20 I might have taken the leap to get it, as I am really looking for something light for my face since I am SOOO picky about face stuff and touch my face a lot (in my mind sheer = if I touch it it wouldn’t be so obvious).

Interesting – thanks for the review, Muse! I like the Boscia products that I’ve tried so far (makeup remover, blotting sheets, eye cream), so this seems like a good addition. I wish it offered more coverage, though – I think I’ll stick to my tinted moisturizer

Argh, they had me until the shimmers! : ( No matter how subtle, I always seem to end up in JUST the right light where someone asks me ‘do you have a some glitter stuck on your face?’ I still think I’m gonna check out the Dr. Jart Water Fuse cream, however, if I can ever get to a standalone Sephora.

I have the Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse, and it has the same shimmers. I believe it’s from the sunscreen. Either way, like Muse said about the Boscia, I don’t think the shimmer from the Dr. Jart+ was visible on my face after blending.

you absolutely sold me on this when you said it mimics a “freshly washed face.” I think my complexion looks best after I wash my face as well and haven’t been able to find anything that will give me that look for the rest of the day. I’m definitely going to have to give this a try. btw, how long did the look last for you while you went about your day?

gosh sakex I apologize I did forget to say the wear time. I’m going strong today from 7am till now 3pm…no touch ups yet. I wore it last week and I’d say around 6 to 7 hours in I needed to freshen up a little bit so it isn’t oxidizing too quickly one me! It really gives the appearance of a well rested skin….my skin is generally dull b/c of aging possibly? plus dryness and lack of sleep and water intake (I wish I could get more glasses of water into my diet…). So this gives that freshly washed face look that I crave ;D! let me know if you try it? very very curious how others feel!

thanks for the reply! ditto on the lack of hydration (coffee as a sole source of beverage shockingly is not effective… =/) 6-7hrs sounds pretty good. that seals the deal, I’m definitely going to have to go out and find this. I hope my local sephora carries this; the last time I went they had the Dr. Jart (which wasn’t very appealing…very thin and light) so hopefully they have this as well.

hey sakex thank you for taking time out to talk to me! mmm…same goes for tea for me! I always find that BB Creams oxidize considerably slower on my skin than normally foundations…dunno why but they seem to really wear hard and long on me! the water fuse from Dr Jart is pretty good but very sheer, very creamy as well :D!

I went to my local H-mart for some samples…and the girl gave me Dr so and so…and she said “anything with Dr. is good” but then I heard your voice (ok I don’t know what it sounds like but I assume it’s like princess jasmine) saying that dr jart was kind of a fail! They didn’t carry any of the good brands you have mentioned…. so boo! But, I am compelled to get a sample of this, I like Boscia, their line is great for us sensitive, acne-prone, prone to all bad skin things. =) Thanks Muse for telling us about this!

LMAO kate princess jasmine <3 you! hahahaha…did you watch my youtube stupidity videos from years ago? voice is more like mickey mouse hehehe! Wait, Kate where are you from again hun? My pleasure…it's very good for sensitive skin I'd say…the formula seems very gentle to me ;D! my pleasure hun!

<3 you Muse!! Mickey mouse?! lol no way. I'm in Seattle but parental unit were born in Thailand….mom's family though is from China…. dad's dad is thai and mom is from england..grandma has red hair…and only now my hair is starting to turn like red!!

lol totally…I sucked at videos ;-D my voice was awful, I kept saying um…it was a disaster ;-D thank gawd for the written word haha…but princess jasmine is cool, I can deal with that illusion dude…lol! I won’t direct you to those videos so you can keep that princess jasmine vibe…hahahaha! you have an awesome mix there girl! ;-D Have you been to Thailand?!

aw thanks =P i still look pretty asian. hahah yeah i was just there last december, spent xmas and new years there! my entire family is there!!! saw my 84 year old grandma, rode elephants, held baby monkeys, played with baby tigers, ate a trillion tons of food, went to the mountains and southern beach areas (phuket) and saw how they totally rebuilt it so that u couldn’t even tell a tsunami ever hit! i should send u pics!!!!

5/25/11 15:44 the Muse:

That’s incredible. I spent quite a bit of time in Bangkok several years ago, kinda lived I call it ;-D It was an amazing experience!!!!!!!!!! We should exchange pics ;-D I’d love to see yours!

5/25/11 15:48 kate:

ok we ran out of replies…hahahaha
but ok ill email you pics!!!!! and tell me moreeee about living there!!! where abouts? but you have to tell me landmarks bc i don’t remember the streets. omg, wait, can you..can you speak thai?!?!?!?!

5/25/11 16:17 the Muse:

LOL kate ;-D aw damn! I’d love it! just gimme chance to reply, my inbox, it be scary! ;D! you are probably familiar with Khao San Road? I stayed in a guest home about 10 minutes from there and spent the remaining time with a friend’s family. Very little Thai…! I wish I was fluent ;-D My grasp of any Asian language is as weak as water ;-D But I do enjoy trying!!!!!! I always wanted to take a Asian language while I was at school but just never made for the time for it, big regret….!!!!! do you!?

I got a sample of this in sephora and I *HATED* it – it turned me orange and made my skin feel like it was suffocating. I couldn’t leave it on for longer than 10 minutes, I could just feel a huge breakout coming. This has absolutely nothing to do with Asian BB creams, it’s also probably one of the worst products I have EVER tried …

wow UrbanWarrior sorry to hear it :-/ It’s very light….I’m amazed your skin felt suffocated using it wow…! Do you normally use creams or powder foundations? Curious minds. It’s def not a traditional BB Cream, I agree….but not the worst product I ever tried 😉 I actually liked it for sheer coverage, good for Summer. So sorry it didn’t work for you

I did try this product, and actually posted my own review of it. I was disappointed in it as it simply did not work well with my skin tone (very fair skinned) and it made me break out. It’s a bit sad as I was really wanting to love the product! I can easily see it working for other people, however, as it is a great match to your skin and you didn’t seem to have any issue with it.

Bought it last night as well as the black nose strips! So far I like the BB cream, the color matched well and felt fine going on. I have a lot of problems with redness around my nose so we shall see if it helps!!

I’m going to haul it at the F7F event – i love sheer coverage and I had warm/light olive skin – it looked great on me. Came out matte, and I have oily skin – all tinted moositurizers are too oily for me

Thanks for the review. I just got a sample of this in my latest Birchbox and I loved it! Btw I have light olive skin and the self adjusting aspect of this BB cream worked perfectly! I just ordered a full size tube which just arrived today! My sister has tanner skin then me and she tried some of this and it looked perfect on her as well.